He Came Back
by SusanBenson2812
Summary: Olivia Benson and her 11-year-old daughter, Susan, are living with Brian Cassidy whom Olivia has been dating for about 6 months when out of nowhere, their lives are interrupted when a certain blue-eyed SVU detective attempts to renter their lives after being absent for almost 3 years. How will Olivia react? Can she ever forgive the one man she has always loved with all her heart?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **Olivia Margaret Benson's point of view**

It's been almost 3 years now since Elliot Stabler, my partner of almost 13 years abruptly left SVU and completely disappeared without telling me or our 11 year old daughter, Susan, goodbye. I was devastated when my captain here at the 1-6, Donald Cragen, broke the news to me that Elliot had turned in his retirement papers and left. Susan was also devastated when I told her that her dad had left. She had only been 8 at the time and couldn't understand why her daddy would leave us without saying goodbye to me and her. I can still remember my sweet little girl crying herself to sleep in my bed that night. I had cried myself to sleep that same night as well. I've been struggling for the past 2 ½ years to try to understand how Elliot could have just turned his back on both me and Susan the way he did. I ended up being the one to clear out Elliot's desk a month after his departure. Fin and Munch didn't want to be the ones to do it. Amanda Rollins and Nick Amaro, the 2 new detectives that were brought in to replace Elliot, became Aunt Amanda and Uncle Nick to my daughter about 6 months after they started working here at SVU. They are both very fond of Susan and she has become very fond of them as well.

At the moment, I'm working on some paperwork while I exchange short cute texts every few minutes with my current boyfriend, Brian Cassidy. Brian was working here at SVU when I first started but left after about 6 months after I arrived because he just couldn't handle seeing the things we see every single day. He stayed in contact with me after he left for Narcotics and had been so excited and happy for me when he had first learned that I am a mother. The day Susan was born was the best day of my life and the almost 19 hours I was in labor with her were totally worth it because once it was all over, I was able to hold my beautiful baby girl that I had created with the man that I still love with every fiber of my being in my arms.

Just then, Amanda walks into the squad room, Susan by her side.

"Hi, Mama."

I smile as Susan walks over to my desk and hugs me. I return her hug.

"Hi, baby. How was school today?"

"It was good. I got an A on my social studies test that Aunt Amanda helped me study for. I also got an A on my art project that you and I worked on together last week."

I give my daughter a high-five before giving her another hug and telling her that I am so proud of her for getting an A on her test especially since social studies isn't one of her favorite subjects in school. Like myself at her age, Susan's favorite subjects are math and English. She has always had a love for reading and even scored on a 10th grade reading level last year when she took her school's annual standardized test. I have to buy her 4 or 5 new books every month because of how quickly she reads through them once I give them to her. It really helps that Amanda also has a love for books because then she and Susan can talk for hours about their favorite authors and books.

"Hey, Mama?"

I'm brought back to the present and I look over at my daughter.

"What is it, baby?"

Susan looks down at her feet and says that something happened while she was at school today. I immediately abandon my paperwork and pull my daughter onto my lap. Even though Susan is now 11, she still sits on my lap every so often if she's upset about something or if she just needs some special mother-daughter snuggling time with me. Susan lays her head on my shoulder, her forehead resting against the side of my neck.

"I-I saw Daddy today, Mama. He came to see me at school during lunch."

I'm completely speechless as a million thoughts race through my mind.

 _Elliot was at Susan's school today? But why exactly? Why didn't he come to see me too?_

"Mama, Daddy asked me to tell you that he's really sorry for leaving without saying goodbye and that he wants to see you but that he's scared that you won't want to see him."

I smile and brush a kiss against my daughter's forehead before tucking a couple strands of her brown hair that has fallen across her beautiful cerulean-blue eyes which are the exact same shade of blue as Elliot's own eyes behind her left ear.

"Baby, why don't you go into the break room in the back and get started on your homework?"

Susan hands me a folded-up piece of paper before climbing off of my lap and picks her backpack up off the floor next to my desk and heads to the back of the squad room towards the break room. I unfold the piece of paper and stare in shock at the very familiar handwriting.

 _Hey, Liv._

 _I know that I left you and Susan almost 3 years ago and I can only imagine how hurt both you and Susan must have been when you found out that I had left. I'm so sorry for leaving and I know that you may never forgive me for it. I miss you and Susan so much and I hope that you are both doing ok. If you want to, call me at the number below. I promise that I will pick up the phone this time. Again, I miss you and Susan both so much and I love you both with all my heart. I hope to hear from you soon but I'll completely understand if you decide not to call me._

 _Love always and forever,_

 _Elliot Jordan Stabler_

I can feel tears forming as I finish reading Elliot's note. I blink the tears away as fast as possible so that no one in the squad room will think I'm upset. I stand up from my desk chair which catches the attention of Fin.

"You alright over there, baby girl?"

I smile at Fin's concern towards me. He's not big on letting his emotions show very often but he has a bit of a soft spot for both me and Susan which makes me glad that he's concerned about whether I'm ok right now or now.

"Yeah, Fin. I'm fine. I just need to make a quick phone call. I'll be in the interview room if you need to find me for anything."

Fin nods his head and focuses his attention on his paperwork again. After grabbing my cell phone, I head to the interview room and after closing the door behind me, use my cell to call the number Elliot put in the note he gave Susan to give to me. After precisely 2 rings on the other end, someone picks up.

"Liv?"

Tears flood my eyes as I hear the voice of the man that I have never stopped being in love with despite the fact that I have not seen or spoken to him in almost 3 years. I may be dating Brian right now but I think he can tell that my heart isn't 100% into our relationship because my heart belongs to Elliot and it has belonged to him for a very long time.

"Liv? Are you there?"

I snap out of my thoughts by the concern I can hear in Elliot's voice. I decide to speak.

"Hi, El. It's been a while, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **Elliot Jordan Stabler's point of view**

It's been 3 days since I talked to Liv on the phone after not having seen or spoken to her in almost 3 years. She and I are planning on meeting up in Central Park at 11:00 this morning so that we can talk. I am not looking forward to explaining to Liv that I left SVU, her and Susan because of Ed Tucker, the arrogant asshole from Internal Affairs who had been trying to take my badge since my second year of my partnership with Liv. I have to admit that I miss chasing and putting bad guys away every day with Liv by my side.

It's about a quarter to 11:00 so I make my way downstairs to the lobby of my apartment building and head outside to my car. I drive for about 10 minutes until I reach the east entrance of Central Park. After climbing out of my car, I make my way to the bench next to the small pond that Liv and I used to bring Susan to when she was little so she could feed the ducks that like to hang out there.

I sit on the bench for about 5 minutes before I feel a small hand on my left shoulder. I turn my body halfway around and see Susan standing behind me, a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, Daddy."

I smile at Susan before she turns and motions to someone behind her. A moment later, Liv is standing beside the bench, looking like she's going to cry at any moment. I stand up and wrap my arms around her and rest my right cheek against her chestnut brown hair. I feel her arms wrap themselves around my torso before Liv lays her head on my right shoulder. I turn my head and place a gentle kiss to her temple then whisper in her ear that I'm really glad she decided to meet me and that she brought Susan with her. Liv lifts her head off my shoulder and I place a second gentle kiss to her forehead which brings tears to her eyes again. It's only then that I notice an unfamiliar athletic looking blonde woman dressed in black running pants and a light blue t-shirt standing next to Susan holding a soccer ball under her arm. I also notice now that Susan is dressed similarly to how the blonde woman is except Susan's t-shirt is a light green instead of light blue.

"El, I'd like you to meet Amanda Rollins. She's one of the detectives that started working at SVU after you left. Susan's planning on trying out for the girls' soccer team at her school in about 3 weeks and since I don't know very much about soccer and Amanda was on a soccer team in high school, she offered to help Susan prepare for tryouts. They're gonna practice some more while you and I talk."

"Sounds great. I'm so proud that you decided to try out for your school's soccer team, peanut. I promise that I'l be at every game if you make the team."

"Thanks, Daddy. Can I have a hug real quick before I go practice with Aunt Amanda?"

I look over at Liv who nods her head. I give Susan a quick hug before she goes off with Amanda to practice and Liv and I are alone. I wait for Liv to seat herself on the bench before sitting next to her.

"So.. What, um, what did you want to talk to me about exactly, El?"

I take a deep breath.

"First of all, I want to say again that I am so so very sorry for leaving you and Susan 2 ½ years ago, Livvy. It was so stupid of me to just leave without at least telling you that I was leaving."

Liv wipes away a tear that has escaped from her right eye. I reach over and take her right hand in my left one and use my thumb to stroke the side of her hand.

"You're right about one thing, El. It _was_ stupid of you to leave without telling me you were leaving. I was so mad at you for leaving the way that you did but I also couldn't help but wonder why."

"It was because of Tucker, Livvy. He made me leave."

Liv looks over at me in shock.

"Tucker forced you to leave, El? Why would he do that?"

I shrug my shoulders.

"Tucker has always hated me, Liv. I've never been able to understand exactly why."

"Well, I could honestly care less about what Tucker or anyone else thinks about you, El. I know you and I know the kind of person that you are and no one can ever change how I look at you."

"Liv! Something's wrong with Susan!"

Amanda's frantic voice tears Liv's attention away from me and she lets go of my hand before running over to where Susan is lying on the grass, her eyes closed. I join Liv who is now kneeling down on the grass next to Susan.

"Do you know if Susan got overheated, Amanda?"

Amanda is standing next to me, wringing her hands and looking like she's going to start crying at any moment. I wrap my arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.

"I, I don't think so. I made sure to help her keep hydrating so that she wouldn't get overheated. What if she did overheated and she just didn't tell me?"

Before I can answer her, two paramedics arrive and load Susan onto the stretcher. Liv tells me that she's gonna ride along with Susan and asks me to bring Amanda to the hospital with me.

"I will, Liv. Just stay with Susan until we get to the hospital."

 **Sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. I will of course be explaining the reason for Susan fainting in the park in the next chapter and Olivia is going to be making a pretty important decision regarding her current relationship with Cassidy in the next chapter as well. Hope you all are doing well and that you'll stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **Olivia Margaret Benson's point of view**

Susan regains consciousness while the ambulance is still en route to Mercy General and she looks around, confused. Her eyes land on me sitting as close to the stretcher that she's strapped to as I can, holding her smaller hand in mine. I smile softly at Susan and gently tell her that she's in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. She's clearly confused but is trying to stay calm.

"Why am I going to the hospital, Mama? What happened? Where's Daddy? And Aunt Amanda?"

I tuck a strand of my daughter's brown hair behind her right ear before gently squeezing her hand and explaining to her that she fainted earlier in the park and the ambulance is taking her to the hospital just to make sure that she's alright. She nods her head, indicating that she understands but I can see a hint of fear in her blue eyes.

"I'm not going to leave your side once we get to the hospital, baby. I'll be right beside you the whole time, okay?"

"You promise you won't leave me when we get to the hospital, Mama?"

My heart aches for my daughter who is clearly feeling scared right now and I completely understand why. Susan has never liked hospitals due to having to be admitted multiple times when she was younger. Susan used to get ear infections very easily when she was younger but thanks to a surgery when she was 6 years old, she doesn't get them as much anymore. Elliot and I would always stay with Susan whenever she had to stay at the hospital overnight before she had the surgery and if neither one of us was able to stay with her because of a case at work, Alex or Casey would volunteer to stay with her until one of us was able to.

"I'm not leaving your side, baby. I know how much you don't like the hospital so I'll be right here beside you the whole time and so will your dad, ok?"

"Ok, Mama. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can, baby."

"Would you be mad if you found out that I had kept a secret from you?"

Before I am able to answer my daughter's very confusing question, the doors on the back of the ambulance fly open and I realize that we are now at Mercy General Hospital. I quickly climb out of the vehicle and follow the paramedics pushing the stretcher that Susan is strapped to into the emergency room. A nurse with blonde hair stops me from following the paramedics even though I try to persuade her to let me remain with Susan. Since I'm stuck, I find a seat in the waiting room.

Elliot walks into the emergency room with Amanda right behind him a few minutes later.

"Liv, why aren't you with Susan?"

"The nurse wouldn't let me stay with Susan, El. I promised her that I wouldn't leave her."

"Livvy, don't-"

Just then, the same blonde nurse who had prevented me from remaining with Susan when the paramedics first brought her in approached us.

"Detective Benson?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to apologize for preventing you from remaining with your daughter earlier when the paramedics brought her in. I didn't realize at the time that she was actually your daughter."

"Thank you. Can I go be with my daughter now?"

"That's the other thing I came over here to speak with you about. Your daughter became hysterical when our ER doctor, Dr. Campbell, tried to approach her. She refused to let any nurses near her as well. She says that she wanted you and her daddy and only you and her daddy."

El and I follow the nurse back to a curtained-off area where we find Susan, her knees pulled up against her chest with her arms wrapped around them, tears streaming down her face. I go over to the gurney and sit beside Susan, pulling her into my arms as she buries her tear-streaked face in my shoulder and cries her heart out. I rub Susan's back as I whisper to her that I'm here and that everything will be okay. Elliot looks nervous so I ask him with my eyes to come sit down beside me and help me comfort Susan which he immediately does. He softly kisses Susan's hair before whispering to her that we are both here with her and that everything will be alright.

"Baby, could you tell me why you asked me earlier whether I would be upset if I found out that you kept a secret from me?"

Susan looks over at Elliot who is still sitting beside me, holding Susan's smaller hand in his larger one then back at me.

"Well, I have been keeping a secret from you and it's not a good kind of secret."

"Baby, you know that you can tell me anything right?"

Susan nods her head yes, indicating that she knows that she can tell me anything but I can see hesitation in her blue eyes, leading me to believe that she's afraid to tell me the secret she's been hiding from me.

"I-I promised that I wouldn't tell anyone, Mama, and you have always taught me that I should never break a promise."

"You're right, baby. I did tell you that but remember I also taught you that if someone is hurting you or is hurting someone that you know, you should tell me so that I can try to help stop it from happening."

Susan takes a deep breath then says that there is a reason she was so afraid of the doctor earlier.

"Why were you scared of Dr. Campbell, baby?"

"B-Because he looked just like my social studies teacher at school, Mama. I'm scared of him because he's been doing bad things to me since about a month after school started this year."

I'm struggling to understand exactly my sweet little girl has just told me. I've been an SVU detective for almost 14 years now and I never saw any sign that someone was hurting my daughter. I wrap my arms around Susan and hold her close to me, burying my face in her brown hair as I struggle not to break down crying.

I finally lift my head and look down at Susan who has tears trickling down her face again.

"Baby, I'm so very sorry that I wasn't there to protect you but I want you to know that the man who hurt you will never hurt you again, ok?"

"Ok. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Mama."

I gently kissed Susan's forehead.

"It's okay, baby. I'm just glad that you did eventually tell me. Would it be ok if I asked Aunt Amanda to come sit with you for a few minutes so that your daddy and I can talk real quick?"

"That sounds good to me, Mama. I bet Aunt Amanda's pretty worried about me."

"She is, baby. Let me go get her then I'll be back in a bit, ok?"

"Okay."

Amanda is more than happy to sit with Susan while Elliot and I talk a little more privately. I also inform the nurse from earlier that I needed a trauma kit done for my daughter and request that Detective Rollins be allowed to remain with Susan while the kit is being done. Elliot and I then walk to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and a quick bite to eat. Elliot has been pretty quiet for a while now and his silence is making me a bit nervous. It isn't until we're sitting at a table on the east side of the cafeteria that Elliot finally speaks to me.

"Liv, I wasn't ignoring you or Susan earlier. I was just trying to process what Susan told us about her teacher. I just want to find that guy and kill him for what he did to Susan."

"Trust me, El. I know exactly how you feel right now. I want to kill that sick bastard for what he did to Susan too."

"I want you to know that I'm sorry for leaving the way I did, Liv. I know that you're dating Brian Cassidy now but I'm really hoping that I can still be a part of Susan's life and your life too."

"El, I do want you to be in Susan's life and mine too. As for me dating Brian, I have to be honest with you. I think he knows that my heart truly belongs to someone else, someone that he cannot take the place of in my life or in Susan's life either."

Elliot smiled slightly.

"Well, _my_ heart truly belongs to a very special brown-haired, brown-eyed woman that I've known for a pretty long time but I've never actually told her how I feel about her. I'm planning on telling her soon though."

"Good. You done eating?"

"Yeah. Let's get back to Susan. She needs us both right now."

El and I make our way back to the exam room. Susan is now sitting on the end of the exam table talking to Amanda and Fin who I guess arrived sometime after El and I had left for the hospital cafeteria. I give Susan the Hershey's bar I bought for her out of the snack machine in the hospital cafeteria and turn to Fin and Amanda.

"I called Cragen a few minutes ago, Liv. He wants me and Fin to go and pick up Susan's teacher from his home then bring him to the precinct for questioning."

"Okay. El can drive me and Susan home."

"Okay. There's just one more thing I think that you should know before we head out."

I glance over at Fin who has this look in his eyes that I haven't seen in about 4 years when he and I were undercover at Sealview and he found me in the prison's basement about to be raped by Lowell Harris. He's ready to kill someone.

"What is it, Amanda?"'

"Susan isn't the only student at her school that her teacher preyed upon. Susan told me and Fin that one of her friends confided in her about the same teacher trying to force himself on her a couple of days ago after Susan found her hiding in the girls' bathroom."

"Did Susan tell you and Fin the name of her friend that confided in her about the teacher?"

Amanda sighs.

"Susan said that her friend that confided in her was Emily Cabot-Langan, your friend Alex's daughter."

I stare at Amanda, completely speechless.

 ** **I just wanted to say sorry for not updating this sooner. I hit a few roadblocks as I was writing it but hopefully I did okay with this chapter.****

 ** **Next, Liv and Cassidy have a conversation regarding their relationship while Amanda and Fin speak with Alex's daughter, Emily, about what she told Susan about their teacher.****

 ** **BTW in case anyone is curious: Alex's daughter Emily is 6 1/2 months older than Susan and they are both in the sixth grade.****


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **Olivia Margaret Benson's point of view**

It's been almost 3 weeks since I learned that my 11 year old daughter Susan as well as my goddaughter Emily Cabot-Langan were both being molested by their social studies teacher, Mark Campbell. I was so relieved when I was told by our ADA, Rafael Barba, that neither Susan nor Emily would have to testify in court due to Campbell accepting the deal Barba had offered to him. Susan had had a hard enough time telling me what her teacher had done to her. It would have been nearly impossible for her to tell a courtroom full of strangers about the awful things she'd experienced at the hands of someone she had believed she could trust.

Susan being hurt by her teacher has put a major strain on mine and Brian's relationship. He doesn't seem to understand how important I feel it is for me to be there for Susan. We've even gotten into a few pretty heated arguments about how I need to 'stop babying my daughter' (at least that's how Brian puts it). Elliot has been spending a good amount of time at the apartment that Susan and I share with Brian lately. I know that it's kind of wrong to always be so damn happy whenever Susan and I spend time with Elliot since I'm with Brian but I can't help it. Elliot has always been there for me through both good times and bad. He was there for me after my horrifying encounter with Lowell Harris at Sealview and never once looked at me any differently than he always had and he never once treated me like I was broken even though that was exactly how I'd felt at the time. He had even told me that he was so proud of me for having the courage to face Lowell Harris in the interrogation room after we had arrested him.

I'm at the precinct working on some paperwork at my desk in the squadroom when Brian came storming in and asked to speak with me privately. Amanda give me a curious look but I just shake my head ever so slightly at her and motion to Brian to follow me. We go up to the cribs. I shut the door behind me before turning to face a clearly furious Brian.

"Why the fuck has Elliot fucking Stabler been at our apartment?"

"Brian, I have no-"

"Don't even try to bullshit me, Olivia! I'm not stupid! I know he's been at our apartment!"

"Okay, fine! Elliot has been coming over and hanging out with me and Susan a few times a week! He has every right to spend time with Susan! He's her father, damn it!"

Brian smirks which confuses me.

"I know the truth, Olivia."

"W-what are you talking about, Bri? "

"I know that Elliot Stabler is _not_ the father of Susan. You've been lying to everyone here about who Susan's father is for over a decade because you don't want any of them to know the truth and I personally think that the fact that you have lied straight to your daughter's face her entire life is pretty fucking pathetic. Maybe I should tell Susan that-"

I feel myself suddenly snapping. I grab Brian's jacket collar in both of my hands and yank down on it until he's staring right into my eyes.

" I swear to God, Brian Cassidy. If you say one word to my daughter about Elliot not really being her father, I will personally make it my business to make your sad and pathetic life a living hell. Got it?"

Brian nods his head and I release the iron grip I had on his collar. I take a few deep breaths before I look at Brian again.

"One more thing, Brian."

"W-what's that?"

"You and I are through. You can get your shit out of the apartment but after that, I never ever want to see your face here or at my apartment again. If I do, I can personally guarantee you that you will regret it."

"O-okay, Olivia. I'll go to the apartment right now and get my stuff. I'll never bother you or Susan ever again and for whatever it's worth, I'm really sorry."

I turned to look out of the window of the cribs until I heard the door open then close again. It was only then that I allowed myself to burst into tears. I've been hiding a horrible truth from not only my amazing daughter but also all of my friends and colleagues (except for Elliot) for nearly 12 years now and I now realize that I need to come clean to everyone especially Susan. Her heart will be shattered when she learns that Elliot is not really her father and I will be to blame for how hurt Susan will be.

I'm jerked from my thoughts by a pair of arms wrapping themselves around my waist. I tense up for a second but immediately relax when I realize that it's only Elliot. I turn around in his arms and bury my tear-streaked face in his shirt. Elliot doesn't say anything and just holds me tightly in his arms, his right hand cradling the back of my head.

Once I'm all cried out, I lift my head off of Elliot's chest and try to manage a smile because I know how much he hates to see me cry. I stand still as he uses the white cloth that he carries around in his pocket to clean the mascara streaks that had formed on my face when I was crying. After he's done, he gently kisses my forehead before smiling down at me.

"Good as new. Now please tell me why the most beautiful woman that I have ever known was crying."

Elliot and I sit side by side on one of the bunks and I explain to him what had happened earlier between me and Brian. I could tell that Elliot was fighting the urge to punch or kick something but I kind of get why he's angry. He's always been super protective when it comes to me and had even knocked out Dean Porter once around 5 years ago when he'd found out that Dean had cheated on me. I reach over and take Elliot's hand in mine.

"El, there's um there's something that I want to tell you."

"What do you want to tell me, Livvy?"

I take a deep breath and say to Elliot what I've wanted to say to him since I first met him way back in 1999:

"Elliot Jordan Stabler, I love you."

 **I know I'm mean for ending this chapter on such a huge cliffhanger but I figured it would be a good place to end this chapter so that I could get started on writing the next one. I promise that I will be explaining who Susan's real father is as well the reason that he is not in her life or Olivia's life. Also, I hope you all aren't mad at me for ending this chapter on a huge cliffhanger. I really hope that you all will stay tuned for the next chapter of this story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 ** **Elliot Jordan Stabler's point of view****

"El? Did you hear what I just said?"

I smile at Liv who is looking at me with a confused look on her face. I smile at her reassuringly before giving her hand a gentle squeeze and nodding my head.

"Don't worry, Livvy. I heard you just fine. I just wasn't expecting for you to say what you just said. I'm glad you did though because there is something that I wanted to say to you for a long time now."

"And what might that be, Stabler?"

I smile before reaching up and using my free hand to tuck some hair of Liv's hair that has fallen down over her eyes behind her left ear.

"I love you too, Olivia Margaret Benson. I have loved you since the first day I met you way back in May of '99. Whenever I'm around you, I can't help but smile. You have made me the person I am today and words could never describe just how much I love you and how important you will always be to me."

Liv wipes away the tears that are falling down her face again before she begins to lean towards me. I lean towards her at the same time and when our lips finally meet for the very first time, it was like nothing I had ever experienced before in my life.

When I finally pull back, Liv has a sort of dopey love struck look on her face which makes me chuckle because of how adorable she looks. She pretends to give me her classic Benson glare before chuckling and lightly smacking my arm. I pull her close to me and kiss the side of her head.

"So what time do you get off work today, baby?"

"Well, I was supposed to get off work around 6:00 but seeing how it's almost 4:15 right now, I'm sure Cragen wouldn't mind letting me leave a little early."

"Sounds good to me. By the way, I picked Susan up from school earlier and brought her here with me. I hope that that's ok."

Liv smiles at me before giving me a soft kiss.

"Of course it's okay that you picked Susan up from school, El. I really appreciate that you did that for me because it meant that I didn't have to leave work to go to her school to pick her up myself. I'm gonna put your name on the list of people that are allowed to pick Susan up from school that I gave to the administration staff at Susan's school at the beginning of the school year. That way you can pick up Susan from school on days that me or Amanda aren't able to."

"That sounds good, Livvy. Did you and Susan have anything planned for tonight?"

"Well, Susan asked me this morning when I was driving her to school before I came to work if she and I could have a special mother-daughter movie night tonight since I've been working a lot lately and haven't had much time for the 2 of us to spend some quality time with each other. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking about maybe making my famous spaghetti tonight and I was wondering if you and Susan might like to join me for dinner."

Liv smiles before leaning over and pecking me on the lips.

"Of course Susan and I would love to have dinner with you tonight, El. Would my apartment work ok or would you rather Susan and I come over to your place?"

"Whichever you're more comfortable with, baby."

"How about if we have dinner at my apartment then? That way, Susan can sleep in her own bed tonight and maybe if you want to, you could stay the night with us too. I know that Susan would really love it if you were still there in the morning whenever she wakes up."

"Would you also love it if I was still at your place when you wake up in the morning. Livvy?"

Liv's cheeks turn a slight shade of pink before she leans towards me and presses her lips against mine in a gentle yet passionate kiss. I immediately return her kiss but pull back slightly before I'm tempted to try and deepen it. I nuzzle her nose with mine before kissing her lips again softly.

"To answer your question El, I would love it if you were still at my apartment when I wake up tomorrow morning."

 ** **Later that night at Olivia's apartment...****

 ** **(POV switches from Elliot's to Olivia's)****

I'd ended up having to remain at the precinct until around 9:00 tonight instead of heading for home at 6:00 like I was supposed to due to the squad catching 2 separate rape cases less than an hour after Elliot and Susan had left the precinct for the grocery store to pick up the ingredients that Elliot was going to need to make his famous spaghetti for our dinner. I make sure to call Elliot when I realized that I was going to be at work a bit later than planned. He assures me that's he's okay with it and tells me that he would make Susan eats dinner and gets whatever homework she has done and that he will also set aside some of the spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread he was planning to cook so that I would have something to eat once I get home.

It's close to 9:30 when I finally get home to my apartment. After removing both my coat and shoes at the door, I enter the living room only to find both Elliot and Susan fast asleep together on the couch, the tv playing softly in the background. I use my cell phone to snap a quick picture of the man I love and my daughter before gently shaking Elliot's shoulder until he finally opens his eyes, looks up at me and smiles.

"Hey, babe. You just getting home?"

"Yeah. I need to wake Susan up and make her go get in her bed."

"Don't worry, baby. I can make sure Susan gets to bed while you go change into some more comfortable clothes and then I'll warm up the plate of food I set aside for you like I promised you I would."

I can't help but smile at how sweet and thoughtful El is being right now. It's the side of him that he only allows a few select people to see and I'm grateful that I'm one of the few people in this world that gets to see this side of him. I lean down and give him a brief but passionate kiss and whisper to him that I love him before turning and heading down the hallway to my bedroom. Instead of merely changing out of my work clothes into some more comfortable clothes, I decide to take a quick shower to wash the stress from my work day off of me. After my shower, I pull on a comfy pair of sweatpants along with a dark blue tank top and a zip-up hoodie that once belonged to Elliot before making my way into Susan's bedroom to say goodnight to her. Susan is snuggled up under the covers sound asleep with her favorite stuffed animal, a teddy bear that El won just for her at a carnival he had taken us to during a weekend visit at his mom Bernadette's beach house on Long Island about a year before he left SVU. I bend down and press a soft kiss to Susan's forehead and whisper that I love her. I close Susan's door and make my way back into the living room. I don't see El so I make my way into the kitchen where I find a plate of spaghetti and meatballs along with 2 small slices of cheesy garlic bread waiting for me on the counter. El is in the process of pouring me half a glass of my favorite red wine and he smiles at me.

"Dinner's ready for you, baby. I hope you enjoy it."

"El, you didn't have to do all this just for me."

"I know, baby. I wanted to do this for you. You know, spoil you a bit."

I smile at El before walking over to him, pecking him on the lips and wrapping my arms around his trim waist. El wraps his left arm around my shoulders and pressing a soft kiss against my temple.

"I appreciate you wanting to spoil me, El. None of the guys I've dated before were ever really this thoughtful towards me and I want you to know that I really do appreciate it. Thank you."

El kisses the tip of my nose before informing me that he's gonna take a quick shower while I eat and then we can go to bed. I sit on one of the barstools at the island in my kitchen and begin to eat while El goes into my room to take his shower. I'm just finishing up with my dinner when to my surprise, Susan walks into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.

"Baby, it's almost 10 o'clock at night. What on earth are you doing up?"

"I kinda had a bad dream, Mama. Can I sit up with you and Daddy for a little bit before I try to go back to sleep?"

I smile at my daughter. Elliot must have told her before I got home that he was spending the night with us tonight.

"Of course you can, baby. Just not too late, ok? You do have school tomorrow."

By the time Elliot finishes his shower and comes back out into the living room, Susan and I are snuggled up together on the couch and both of us are struggling to stay awake. Elliot smiles at us before bending down and lifting Susan up into his arms and carrying her into her bedroom with me right behind him. After we both kiss Susan good night, El and I stand out in the hallway.

"El, would you be alright with sleeping in my bed with me tonight?"

"As long as it's what you want, baby. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

I couldn't help but smile at El's awkwardness. I completely get why he feels that way though. After all, this will be the very first time we've shared a bed as an actual couple and not just an pretend one like we did a few times when we were partners at work and had gone undercover together.

"I'm positive that I want you sleeping next to me tonight, El. I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't comfortable with the idea."

El and I go into my bedroom and I inform him that I'm going to brush my teeth and use the toilet before going to sleep and that he can go ahead and lay down if he wants to. Once I'm done in the bathroom, I reenter my bedroom to find El lying on top of my mauve-colored comforter still fully dressed in the t-shirt and sweatpants he was wearing earlier when I got home from work.

"El, are you planning on sleeping on top of my comforter all night?"

El looks at me with a hint of confusion in his baby blues and I just laugh before explaining to him that I'm perfectly ok with him sleeping underneath the comforter. He stands up and helps me pull back the comforter and flat sheet. He then removes both his t-shirt and sweatpants leaving him clad in just a pair of dark blue boxer briefs. I can't stop myself from admiring his muscular frame and am a little embarrassed when I realize that he has caught me. I can feel my cheeks heating up as I look away from El and climb into bed and lay down on my left side with my back now facing El who is still standing on the other side of the bed. A moment later, I feel the right side of the bed dip enough that I can tell that El is now lying on the bed beside me but I stay on my side. It isn't until El wraps his right arm around my waist and pulls me towards him until my back is flush against his bare chest that I finally turn onto my right side so that I'm now facing El.

"I-I'm sorry, El. I didn't mean to act cold towards you just now. I was just-"

"Embarrassed that I caught you checking me out?"

I nod my head in response to his question. He wraps his other arm around and presses a soft kiss to my forehead before telling me that he isn't at all upset that I was checking me out. I smile at El before giving him a brief yet passionate kiss. After I pull away to catch my breath, I lay my head on El's chest directly over his heart, closing my eyes as I listen to the steady beating of his heart which slowly begins to lull me to sleep. I very faintly feel El's lips brush against my forehead one last time before I finally fall asleep.

 ** **Sorry that I took so long to update this story again. I've had a lot of personal stuff going on lately and it's been effecting my desire to get any writing done. Hopefully I will be able to update this story as well as my other SVU story on this site at least once over the next week or 2. Also, I apologize if it seems like this chapter is a little boring compared to any of the previous chapters of this story. There will be a bit of a time jump in the next chapter but I promise it will be pretty interesting. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you might like to see happen next in this story.****


	6. Chapter 6

****Chapter Six****

 ** **Olivia Margaret Benson's point of view****

It's been nearly 8 whole months since Elliot and I became an official couple and it's been pretty amazing so far. Elliot treats me like a queen and does small things for me every single day that make me fall even more deeply in love with him than I thought was even possible.

Susan celebrated her 13th birthday about 4 months ago and she also went through a bit of a growth spurt around that same time. She is now at a height of 5 feet 4 1/2 inches which means that she is now around 3 1/2 inches shorter than I am. Most girls Susan's age probably wouldn't make a big fuss about growing a few inches but since Susan was always slightly shorter than most girls her age when she was younger, she's pretty happy that she's a bit taller now than she was a year ago.

It's the middle of a pretty dull Wednesday afternoon at work when Amanda's cell phone suddenly goes off followed a few moments by my own.

Apparently, there was a shooting at Susan's school earlier today and she is now calling me from a pay phone at Mercy General where she currently is pleading with me to come to the hospital because she is freaking out right now and needs me.

I immediately assure my daughter that I'm leaving the precinct right away and that I'll be at the hospital as fast as I can.

Before she ends the call, Susan asks me to call Elliot for her since she doesn't have any more change for the pay phone and she had left her cell phone in her locker and wasn't able to get to it due to the chaos brought on by the shooting at her school.

"I will, baby. I'll be there soon, ok? I love you."

"I love you too, Mama. Please be safe as you can on the drive down here, okay?"

I smile at how even though she is feeling anxious, my daughter is always thinking of other people. It's a trait that Elliot swears up and down she definitely inherited from me and I completely agree.

"I promise that I'll be careful, baby. I'll see you in just a bit."

After hanging up, I explain to Fin, Cragen, Munch, Amanda, and Nick what happened at Susan's school and Amanda offers to drive me to the hospital which I immediately accept. I grab my coat and purse and the 2 of us leave the precinct and begin driving to Mercy General. On the way there, I call Elliot on his cell. It turns out that he has already heard about the shooting at Susan's school and has been trying for hours now to get any information he could on what had happened and whether or not Susan might have been one of the many victims of the shooting.

"Susan's okay, El. She's at Mercy General. She called me about 10 minutes ago from a pay phone at the hospital because she lost her cell phone during the craziness caused by the shooting. Amanda and I are headed to the hospital right now to make certain that she really is okay."

"Okay. I'll meet you guys down there as soon as I explain to my boss what has happened. Tell Susan that I love her and that I'm glad she's okay."

"I will, El. I actually need to hang up now because Amanda and I just pulled into the parking lot at Mercy. I'll see you in just a bit though, ok?"

"Okay. I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too. Be careful on the drive here, okay?"

"I will, baby. Bye."

"Bye, El."

After I end the call with El, Amanda and I exit the sedan and make our way into the busy and crowded emergency room. I show my badge to the nurse behind the front desk and explain to her that my daughter had been brought here after a shooting at her school earlier today.

"What's your daughter's name, Sergeant Benson?"

"My daughter's name is Susan. Susan Benson-Stabler."

The nurse leads both me and Amanda to a curtained-off area and I see Susan lying on a gurney with a fresh purple cast covering her right arm from wrist to elbow. Susan sees me and Amanda. A sad smile crosses her lips as tears fill her blue eyes. I quickly cross the room and wrap my arms around my daughter who wraps her good arm around my waist and lays her head on my shoulder. I press a kiss against the top of her head and whisper to her that I'm glad that she's okay. I feel Susan's shoulders start to shake which tells me that she's crying.

"I was so scared, Mama. I didn't know if I would get to see you and Daddy again."

I press another kiss against the top of Susan's head just as Elliot comes around the corner of the curtain. I notice right away that he's slightly out of breath.

"Susan! Are you okay, peanut? And what on earth happened to your arm?"

I watch and listen as Elliot hugs Susan who quickly assures both of us that she's okay and that during the craziness caused by the shooting at her school, she had tripped and hit her arm really hard on the edge of the bleachers in her school's gym, resulting in her arm being broken in 2 different places.

"Mama?"

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Susan who asks me if I could try to see if one of the nurses could tell her anything about a friend of hers whom she had heard had gotten hurt during the shooting when he was trying to protect one of their teachers.

"I'll see what I can find out about your friend, baby. What's their name?"

"His name is Caleb. Caleb Spencer."

"Wasn't he your friend that moved away when the two of you were still in second grade, baby?"

Susan nods her head yes and explains that Caleb had moved back to Manhattan with his mother and older sister during winter break and that he now went to the same school as her once again.

"What about Caleb's father? Did he move back here too?"

"Um, Caleb's dad actually passed away in a car accident about 6 months ago, Mama. That's kind of why he, his mom and his sister moved back to Manhattan. It was familiar to them and most of Caleb's mom's family is still here."

"Oh. Well, I'll go see what I can try to find out about Caleb but I can't guarantee that the nurses here will tell me anything about his condition since I'm not a family member of his."

Elliot assures me that he'll stay with Susan until I come back. I make my way out to the nurses' station. I'm waiting for the nurse behind to finish speaking with someone else when I hear a somewhat familiar female voice call my name.

"Detective Benson? Is that you?"


	7. Chapter 7

****Chapter Seven****

 ** **Susan Benson-Stabler's point of view****

It takes Mom almost a whole hour to return to where Dad and I were waiting which makes me wonder if Caleb isn't okay. Mom explains to me that while she was gone earlier, she had run into Katherine, Caleb's older sister by about 3 and a half years, who had gotten a call about her brother earlier from the head nurse after their mother couldn't be reached.

"So is Caleb okay, Mama?"

Mom takes my hand that isn't encased in a cast into both of hers and explains to me that Caleb is doing just fine and that he's been wanting to know if I'm okay since he woke up about 20 minutes ago. She also explains that the doctor who performed surgery on Caleb to remove the bullet that had gotten lodged in his shoulder earlier had noticed that Caleb had some untreated injuries and a number of bruises on his body that looked like they were made pretty recently.

"Do you think that someone has been abusing Caleb, Mama? That the bruises he has are from someone hurting him?"

"That is what I think, baby. I think that someone has been hurting Caleb for a while now. Aunt Amanda and Uncle Nick are talking with both Caleb and his sister right now but once they're done, I'll get you signed out and then you and I will go upstairs and see Caleb, okay?"

I nod my head in response. I've been ready to get out of the emergency room and go home since about an hour after I was brought here in ambulance but I can't leave without seeing for myself that Caleb really is okay. Over the past couple of months since Caleb and I reunited with each other, I've kind of developed romantic feelings for him but I haven't said anything to him about how I feel because I didn't want to risk making things weird or awkward between us.

It's another 15 minutes or so before Mom informs me that she's signed me out of the hospital and that we can now go upstairs so I can see Caleb. Dad has already left so that he can go back to the apartment Mom and I now share with him and get started on making dinner.

Mom and I leave the emergency room and make our way to the elevator that's a short distance from the ER entrance. We then take the elevator up to the 3rd floor and when we go to exit the elevator, we run right into Aunt Amanda and Uncle Nick. Aunt Amanda immediately wraps me up in a tight hug and I immediately return it. She whispers in my ear that she's really glad to see that I'm okay before pressing a soft kiss against my hair.

After Aunt Amanda and I pull away from each other, Uncle Nick tells me that he's glad to see that I'm okay as well before turning to Mom and telling her that he needs to update her on what Caleb and his sister told him and Aunt Amanda earlier.

"I actually can take Susan to see Caleb if you wanna stay here and talk with Nick, Liv."

"Okay. Thanks, Amanda. I'll see you in a few minutes, baby."

I nod my head before following Aunt Amanda down the hall a short ways to the room Caleb is in. Caleb is lying in the hospital bed talking quietly with his sister when Aunt Amanda and I enter the room.

The second Caleb sees me though, his eyes light up and a smile appears on his face. I make my way over to the right side of the bed and smile down at Caleb. He smiles up at me before patting a spot on the bed next to him, indicating to me that he wants me to have a seat beside him. Once I'm seated on the bed, Caleb takes my hand in his and tells me that he was really worried about me earlier. I smile and assure him that aside from my broken arm, I'm doing just fine.

"How did you wind up with a broken arm, Susan?"

"I was in the gym with my friend Maya when the shooting started. I ended up tripping on the bottom row of the bleachers in the gym and I fell onto my arm. From what the doctor told me, I ended up breaking it in two different places."

Caleb carefully pushes himself up into a sitting position so that he can wrap his arms around me. I lay my head on his unhurt shoulder and the two of us stay this way for a few minutes before Caleb has to lay back due to his injured shoulder hurting. I finally ask about his mom and why she's not here with him and his sister.

"Well, Kat and my mom haven't exactly been on the best of terms lately. Kat moved out of our house a couple of months ago because the guy our mom's seeing now got kind of handsy with her and when she tried to tell our mom about it, she didn't believe her. Kat moved in with one of her friends who has her own place the next day. Kat and I have stayed in touch though and we meet up every so often since then to hang out so it's not like we don't get to see or talk to each other."

"I'm sorry that you and Kat don't get to see each other as often as you'd like, Caleb. There's something that I need to ask you about."

"Okay."

I take a deep sigh before I ask the question that I'm dreading getting the answer to.

"My mom told me that she thinks someone might be abusing you due to some unhealed injuries and bruises the doctor who did the surgery on your shoulder noticed and told her about. Why didn't you tell me, Caleb? I wouldn't have judged you or turned my back on you. I would have been there for you."

I don't realize that I'm crying until I feel Caleb's fingers wiping away the tears trickling down my face. I look up at him and see that he is crying as well. My good hand finds his once again and I squeeze it lightly in reassurance.

"I-I didn't say anything to you, Susan, because I was embarrassed and I was scared. I'm so sorry for not telling you myself. The answer to your question is yes. My mom's boyfriend has been beating me pretty frequently over the past couple of months. My mom knows that her boyfriend takes his anger out on me and she doesn't even do anything to try to stop him. She just lets it happen and I can't understand why."

"I think that only your mom can answer that question for you, Caleb."

"Yeah, I guess you're right there. Susan?"

"Yeah?"

Caleb looks down at the blanket covering the lower half of his body for a moment before finally looking back up at me. He licks his lips before he finally speaks.

"There's um there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now. I was just too afraid to do it because I wasn't sure what your reaction might be."

"Caleb, you've known me since back when we were in pre-school together. You know that you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know that, Susan. I just- I don't want to make you freak out or anything if I go ahead and say what it is that I wanna say to you."

I squeeze Caleb's hand gently and assure him that there is nothing he can say that will cause me to freak out. He nods and takes a deep breath before looking straight into my eyes.

"I-I have feelings for you, Susan. Feelings that go beyond you being my best friend."

"Caleb, are-are you trying to tell me that you have romantic-type feelings for me?"

Caleb turns his head away to stare down at his lap before nodding his head yes. I remove my hand from his and cup his cheek, forcing him to lift his head so that our eyes meet once again. I stroke his jaw with my thumb for a moment before I finally find my voice.

"I have had those same feelings for you for a while now too, Caleb. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to make things awkward between us if you didn't feel the same."

Caleb brings his hand up to rest on top of mine and smiles.

"Since I know we both share the same feelings, would it be okay if I kissed you right now, Susan?"

"I wouldn't mind one bit if you kissed me, Caleb."

I smile at Caleb before leaning towards him slightly. He does the same until our lips finally meet. My first kiss with Caleb is amazing but ends a little too quickly for my liking due to both of our moms suddenly coming into the room. I move off of the bed and go stand next to Mom while Caleb and his mom talk quietly with one another.

Mom wraps her arm around my shoulders and after pressing a kiss against my hair, she asks me if I'd finally told Caleb that I now think of him as more than just my best friend. I look up at her in surprise.

"How did you-"

"Aunt Alex told me that she'd accidentally overheard you talking to Lacey about your new feelings for Caleb the last time you were over at her and Uncle Trevor's house, baby. And judging from I saw when I came in here with Caleb's mom a moment ago, I'm guessing Caleb shares those same new feelings."

"He does, Mama. He does share the same feelings."

"Well, as long as he doesn't hurt you or try to pressure into doing something you don't feel ready for, I'm okay with the 2 of you exploring these new feelings you have for each other."

"Thanks, Mama. I promise I'll come to you or Aunt Amanda if I have any questions or problems."

Mom smiles down at me before telling me that I should say goodbye to Caleb so that we can head home and eat dinner. I agree, telling her that I'm very tired after everything that's happened today. Caleb and his mom are just sitting quietly so I approach the bed and inform Caleb that my mom and I are about to leave and head home.

Caleb is somewhat sad that I'm leaving so I tell him that I'll come him once he gets discharged and is back home.

"Sounds great. I'll probably be getting out of here in the morning. I'll call you once I get home, okay?"

"Okay."

He and I hug each other one last time and I kiss him on the cheek before leaving his room with Mom. We head straight to the elevator and once we are back on the main floor, we head for the sedan Aunt Amanda left behind for me and Mom since she planned to catch a ride back to the precinct with Uncle Nick earlier. Mom wants to get her car from the precinct before we go home. After we pick up her car and leave the keys to the sedan with the security guard at the front desk, we finally head home. I briefly doze off on the way but I rouse myself awake so that we can head inside the building and upstairs to the fifth floor to our apartment.

Dad greets us both at the door and let's us know that he kept a couple of plates of food warm for us in case we wanted something to eat. I tell him and Mom that I'm just gonna head straight to bed because of how tired I am.

"Okay, baby. If you need anything during the night, don't hesitate to wake me or your dad up. Okay?"

"I won't, Mama. I promise. Good night."

"Good night, baby."

"Night, peanut."

I make my way down the short hallway of the apartment to my bedroom and after changing into my favorite pajama set and putting my hair up into a messy ponytail, I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After doing just that, I go back into my room and crawl underneath the comforter and close my eyes, hoping that I will actually be able to get some sleep tonight especially after all of today's crazy events.


End file.
